Amazon Prime Video to Launch in India and 200 Countries Next Month

Amazon has been working to launch their Prime Video service in India for quite some time. Now, a tweet by the company’s CEO reveals that the Amazon is on the verge of introducing their video service globally by the end of December. With the global expansion of their Amazon Prime Video service in place, Jeff Bezos led e-commerce firm will give severe competition to one of its counterparts Netflix, which had so far been the only global player in this space.

Amazon recently launched their Prime service in India in July this year. In fact, the e-commerce giant gave a two month free subscription to all its users in a bid to promote their service in the country. Thereafter, the company has been charging a sum of Rs 499/year for their premium service that’s mainly targeted at trusted customers. That said, the Amazon Prime service that is in offing in the country is stripped down version of the US model. Apparently, Amazon has been bundling in a number of added benefits including free access to Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Music and the latest Amazon Prime Photos in their homeland. So, it would be interesting to see whether the company plans to bundle in their upcoming Prime Video service to already subscribed Prime users in India.

Currently, the Amazon Prime subscription in the country is quite barebones with the option for unlimited free fast delivery, no minimum order size and access to some Prime exclusive deals. The addition of the Amazon Prime video service for free would definitely sweeten the deal. In fact, this service enables you to enjoy the both worlds; namely e-commerce and media consumption at a price of basic Netflix subscription. That said, Amazon’s library would need to expand by a huge margin in if they intend to take on the current leading global video streaming company.

Amazon, however, has been closely working on the launch of their video streaming platform. In a bid to do so, the company has been scaling up their video library to include content that suits the taste of Indian users. The e-commerce firm recently tied up with Dharma Productions for premiering their upcoming releases including Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Oh Jaanu and Badrinath Ki Dulhania for Prime Video subscribers. Apart from that, they have partnered with Vishesh Films which has a number of popular Bollywood hits including Khamoshiyan, Aashiqui 2, Jannat and Raaz under their banner. Amazon has also signed a deal with renowned filmmaker SS Rajamouli, Graphic India and Arka Mediaworks for a Prime Video exclusive multi-episode animated series titles – Baahubali: The Lost Legends. It is set to premiere on the platform somewhere around next year.

Despite all these in place, Amazon will have tough times fighting it out with the local players like Hotstar, Spuul, Hungama, Eros Now and Voot in the video streaming segment. With those services offering content targeted solely at Indian users at nearly half the price, Amazon would be required to really differentiate itself from them.

Sayan Sarkar Author Sayan is a technology aficionado who shares a keen interest in the booming startup scene in India. Prior to joining TechPP, he has had stints at GizBot and IBTimes UK. Currently based in Kolkata, Sayan is pursing a degree in Dental Surgery.